Papa
by Joliet113
Summary: "It had been only a few hours since he got the call from his mom - Dad had finally come home and was looking for him! It was everything that Satoshi had prayed for since he was little, and the excitement was almost overwhelming..." Rated K for some language and brief violence. OCs play a major role in the story.


Here's a little story that came to mind once when I was thinking about what could potentially happen if Satoshi (Ash Ketchum) met his real dad for the first time. I've been working on a Pokémon AU idea with my OC Pierre, but unless you've been following me on my deviantART or tumblr, you most likely won't know who he is.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I'll try to answer the best I can, but keep in mind this story is merely a fragment of a larger idea. There's a lot of unexplained backstory in this, but it shouldn't be too confusing.

I hope you enjoy it anyway!

* * *

"Are you nervous, Satoshi?"

The question caught the boy off-guard. Satoshi glanced up at Pierre with wide eyes before quickly looking away. Shrugging slightly, he realized that his throat felt rather dry, and he swallowed hard in order to try and find his speaking voice again.

"M-maybe?" he squeaked. "I don't know... I'm not really sure what to expect, honestly."

It had been only a few hours since he got the call from his mom - Dad had finally come home and was looking for him! It was everything that Satoshi had prayed for since he was little, and the excitement was almost overwhelming. In fact, he noticed that his stomach was starting to churn from the anticipation.

"We should probably get going," Pierre's calm voice broke Satoshi out of his thoughts. "We don't want to keep your dad waiting for too long."

The boy nodded and called for Pikachu to join him. The Pokémon gladly hopped onto his usual perch atop Satoshi's shoulder and gave his trainer a soft smile.

"You ready?" Pierre called out. A smile returned to Satoshi's face once again.

"Yep! Let's go!"

-~0~-

The ride to the nearby park was a quiet one, not that Pierre and Satoshi could do much talking on the motorcycle, anyway. The boy could feel his heart pounding faster the closer they got to the meeting point.

 _He must have so many badges by now_. Satoshi couldn't help but fantasize about his father's achievements, and he hoped that his own wouldn't pale in comparison. _I wonder what kind of Pokémon he has, as well! What if he caught a Legendary? Would he even want to battle me?_

They finally came to a stop, and Satoshi leapt off the bike; his eyes scanning the park for a man that might resemble the description his mom gave him. Pierre took off his helmet and offered to hold Satoshi's as well.

"Your mom _did_ say you were almost a spitting image of him," he piped up with a chuckle. "But I get the feeling she really just said that because she can't see how much you look like _her_."

"Do you think he's here yet?"

"I dunno. I'll wait around with you for a bit until we find him, okay?"

Their waiting turned to ten minutes. Then fifteen. When it got close to the half-hour mark, Satoshi finally decided that his dad was a no-show after all.

"Figures," he muttered under his breath, kicking at a pebble. He should have expected as much. With a defeated sigh, he hung his head. "We should go."

"...Not so fast, Satoshi." Pierre put a hand on the boy's shoulder. Satoshi glanced up to see that Pierre's gaze was locked onto something in the distance. When he looked over in the same direction, he caught sight of a man of average height, with coal black hair and dark eyes. He was standing at the nearby bus stop. It looked like he had just gotten off.

"Mr. Kentaro?" Pierre called out. The man's head shot up in response, and he quickly glanced around to see who had called his name. Both Pierre and Satoshi waved to grab his attention.

As the man walked closer, Satoshi could feel those butterflies in his stomach flutter all over again. His dad was _here!_ Right in front of him!

Though the description Satoshi's mom gave them of the man was rather accurate, Pierre didn't think the resemblance was all that noticeable. The only prominent facial features father and son shared were the chin and similar eyes. In comparison, Satoshi definitely favored his mother's side of the family gene pool.

"Ah, hello!" Kentaro awkwardly sang, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. "You must be the Pokémon Ranger Hanako told me about! It's comforting to know my son is in good hands."

Pierre extended his hand for Kentaro to shake. "Name's Pierre. It's nice to meet you."

Now that Pierre could get a good look at the man, he didn't seem put together at all. His appearance was like that of someone who looked like he crawled out of bed minutes before and didn't have much time to get himself prepared. His hair was slightly combed back, but there were plenty of stray cowlicks that seemed to have a mind of their own. He wore a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up at the elbows and only part of the hem tucked into his pants. Despite this, he seemed to be a generally nice man.

After exchanging formalities, Kentaro's attention finally went to Satoshi. A grin spread across his face as he eyed the boy.

"And look at _you,_ Satoshi! You're all grown up!" With a laugh, he opened his arms. "Come here and give your papa a hug!"

The shock of the moment temporarily paralyzed Satoshi. When he realized that his dad was offering a hug, he hesitated. He barely knew this man, and for some reason the idea of hugging him was something that made Satoshi feel very uncomfortable. Maybe he'd change his mind later once he got to know his dad better.

Taking a few steps forward, Satoshi extended his arm and offered to shake his dad's hand instead.

"I-it's nice to meet you, Kentaro-san. And I'm sure Pikachu is happy to meet you, as well."

"No hugs, then? Alright. I get it." Kentaro shook the boy's hand, his smile never wavering. "You probably barely remember me anyway, huh?"

"Well you _were_ gone my whole life, so... no. I don't."

Kentaro's lip twitched. A brief moment of silence passed between them before he cleared his throat and laughed it off.

"Well, I can assure you I had a good reason for that. Now what about _you?_ From what Hanako told me, it sounds like you're quite the little adventurer, huh?"

Satoshi perked up. Maybe if they started talking about Pokémon, he'd be able to hear about the adventures his dad went on as well!

"Yeah! I'm aiming to be a Pokémon Master!" he proudly exclaimed. Kentaro was still smiling just as bright as ever.

"A Pokémon Master, eh? I can't wait to hear all about it."

Satoshi felt a hand on his shoulder and looked behind him to see Pierre. The Ranger gently pulled him aside just enough so that they were mostly out of earshot.

"Um, are you _sure_ you'll be alright?" he asked, his voice low. "I know the plan was so that you and your dad could have some time together, but will you really be okay on your own? I don't know, I'm getting some weird vibes from this guy. You sure you don't want me to stick around, just to be safe?"

Satoshi shook his head. "I'm sure he's fine - a bit awkward, but he seems nice." The boy shrugged. "And I can take care of myself, Pierre. Don't worry so much, alright? You can just pick me up in a few hours or so."

Pierre pondered this for a moment. The idea of leaving Satoshi alone with someone that neither one of them knew didn't seem like the smartest idea. But the boy was right - he _did_ know how to handle things on his own. With a small sigh, Pierre eventually gave in.

"Alright. But I'll stay in the general area in case you need me. Is three o'clock a good time to come get you?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll call you if anything changes."

Pierre took in a deep breath and gave Satoshi a quick hug before getting back on his bike. "I'll see you later, buddy!" he called out. Within moments, he was gone.

Satoshi didn't even realize that he had been staring at the road for close to an entire minute until Kentaro called his name. It was almost jarring.

"You alright, Satoshi?"

The boy snapped out of his stupor and ignored the weird feelings that were beginning to settle in his stomach. Maybe he should have asked Pierre to stay. Normally he didn't have an issue with meeting new people or staying with people he didn't know... but there was something different about this meeting.

He felt like he was _supposed_ to know this man. But he didn't. And that in itself was rather intimidating.

"Hm? Ah, I'm fine," he finally said in response. Pikachu seemed to notice the slight apprehension in his friend's voice, and gently squeezed Satoshi's shoulder to let him know that he was aware.

"Umm... Kentaro-san?" the boy started, but Kentaro held up a hand and laughed.

"Oh, please - there's no need for that. Just Kentaro is fine, if you're still not okay with calling me 'papa.'"

Satoshi flashed a nervous grin. "Um, _Kentaro_... are you traveling with any Pokémon right now? Pikachu and I would really love to meet them!"

There was a slight delay before Kentaro finally answered. "Well, I don't have any on me," he admitted. Satoshi nodded in understanding.

"I have quite a few back at home, as well. I only brought Pikachu with me today." With a smile, he reached up and gave Pikachu a scratch behind the ear.

"I was... kinda hoping we could battle, actually," the boy admitted. "Mama told me that you left to become a Pokémon trainer, so I just hoped that someday we would battle each other."

"Oh? You any good?"

Satoshi laughed. "I try to be! I could always improve, though. I learn something new with each challenge I face, and that's what makes me and my Pokémon stronger!" Leaning forward, his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "What about you? You probably have a _bunch_ of badges by now, right? Can I see them?"

Kentaro faltered, his face visibly turning red with embarrassment.

"W-well, I..."

"There's no need to be modest. Here - look!" Satoshi quickly dug into his backpack and pulled out the small carrying case that he received at the start of his journey in the Kalos region. Seven badges glinted in the light. "I'm really close to getting my last badge," he proudly announced, "but once I do, then I'll be able to challenge the Kalos League! You probably already have, I can imagine."

Putting the case away, he grinned and rubbed his nose.

"I have all the badges from every other region I've visited, too. I've only been able to win one League so far, but that was a while ago!"

"You'll win the Kalos League this time, right?" Kentaro piped up. "Hanako seemed to have total faith in you. She said you were really fired up about this."

Satoshi's smile faded, and his eyebrow shot up quizzically. "Wait - Mama already told you?"

"Of course. She filled me in on a few things before I set off to find you. Quite a few people here in Kalos seem to know who you are, too. Something about you climbing on top of the Prism Tower to save a wild Pokémon...?"

"It wasn't a wild Pokémon," Satoshi corrected. Kentaro waved a hand.

"Eh, details don't matter. The point is, you were on TV and seemed to be pretty popular. Makes me proud to be the father of someone so important!"

Even though Satoshi knew it was meant to be a compliment, he couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable with the praise. He let out an awkward chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Y-yeah... well, I haven't really left my mark yet - not until I win the Kalos League, that is!"

The conversation lapsed. Satoshi realized that even though they had been talking for a while, his father hadn't mentioned anything about his own adventures at all.

"So... where have _you_ been all this time?" the boy prodded, hoping to get a story or two out of Kentaro. "It's been a while, I'm sure you've caught hundreds of Pokémon by now, right?"

Still smiling (but when was this man ever NOT smiling?), Kentaro reached out and wrapped an arm around Satoshi's shoulder to guide him onto a small pathway that led further into the park.

"Let's go for a walk," was all he said.

-~0~-

The two walked for about ten minutes in silence. Every so often, they would pass other people and Pokémon on the trail. A few of the trainers tried to engage in a battle, but Kentaro politely turned them all down.

"I don't see the need for battling right now," he told Satoshi as they continued walking past one of the disappointed trainers. "I came all this way to see _you_. We might as well make every second count, right?"

Pikachu let out a small whine. He was really hoping to do something more entertaining than just sit on Satoshi's shoulder the whole time. In fact, Satoshi was starting to feel just as bored.

"Hey, why don't you tell me about some of your adventures?" he spoke up, trying to break the silence. "You still haven't told me anything about where you've been or what Pokémon you've caught so far!"

Kentaro let out a laugh. "What's there to talk about? I don't understand why you're so adamant to know about that."

"Well, I mean... I've wondered about it my whole life. I've always thought about you and what sorts of incredible adventures you must have had." Biting his lip, Satoshi placed his hands in his pockets.

"Also... did you ever get my letters? I used to send you letters all the time, but I never heard back from you."

Kentaro took a moment to respond. It was almost as if he was trying to remember. "Oh, right! Of course I got them! I was probably too busy at the time to reply, though."

"Busy doing _what?"_ Satoshi's tone was sharp. Kentaro's lip twitched again, but this time, Satoshi noticed.

Something was off. That horrible feeling began to settle in his gut once again as he realized that Kentaro was purposely dodging his questions. On top of that, Satoshi had asked about the letters with the intention of testing Kentaro. Yes, he had sent letters to his dad when he was younger, but there was no possible way Kentaro would have received them... given the fact that Satoshi had no idea where his dad even was.

But it was the lip twitch that really caught Satoshi's attention. He recalled a conversation he and Pierre had about liars and their tells, and his mind wandered to the time Pierre had pointed out one of Satoshi's tiny white lies. The fact that he had been able to easily pick up on it shocked Satoshi, so he asked about it.

 _"You should always remember that a bad liar will give it away somehow,"_ Pierre had explained with a shrug. _"Might be something simple - like not looking you in the eye, or even something more subtle like a slight twitch."_ Leaning in closer, Pierre waved a finger in the air.

 _"But you gotta look for it. If something feels off, it probably is."  
_  
Those words continued to repeat in Satoshi's mind as he studied his father with a wary gaze.

"Why can't you just tell me? What's there to hide?" he continued, his pace slowing to a halt. "You... _are_ a Pokémon trainer, right? That's what you told Mama."

Kentaro wrapped his arm around Satoshi once more. He felt a slight hesitation from the boy and applied a bit of force to get him to start walking again. The smile disappeared from Kentaro's face.

"Are you always this skeptical of people?" he inquired. Satoshi frowned. Even Pikachu seemed to take on a more defensive stance by climbing on top of his trainer's head.

"N-no, I just... I'm just asking. You seem to already know stuff about me, but I don't know anything about you. That's all."

"Okay, well you want the truth, then?"

The boy slowly nodded. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he wanted it or not at this point.

Kentaro shrugged. "I did start out as a trainer like you. But I guess it just wasn't my thing. So I gave up on that and moved on. It's not that much of a story, really." Glancing down, he could easily see the gears turning in Satoshi's mind as he processed this. The boy's eyebrows furrowed. It seemed hard for him to comprehend.

"But wait," he started, "if you _were_ a trainer... and now you're _not_... what happened to your first Pokémon?"

His large brown eyes expectantly shot up to meet his father's gaze. Kentaro shook his head.

"It doesn't matter now-"

"What _happened?"_

Both Satoshi and Pikachu waited for an answer. Judging by his dad's expression, Satoshi felt he already knew what the answer was. He finally pulled away and stopped dead in his tracks, forcing Kentaro to stop walking as well.

"You abandoned it, didn't you?" Satoshi whispered, his gaze darkening. Kentaro let out a laugh, which seemed horribly out-of-place given the mood.

"There's no reason to be so upset, Satoshi. That happened _years_ ago. You were still a baby at the time, so this doesn't even concern you."

"Why are you here, then?" Satoshi clenched his fists at his sides. "You should know by now that I see Pokémon as my friends. So why waste your time with me when _you_ don't even care about them?

"Also, why should I even _trust_ you after you abandoned not only me, but your own Pokémon as well?"

Kentaro let out a sigh. "So it's not enough that I just wanted to try and reunite with my son after all these years? Instead, you have to go and get upset about something I did in the past?" He shook his head, his expression softening.

"I thought you were better than that, Satoshi."

The young trainer was taken aback. Everything in him felt conflicted. In that moment of silence, Kentaro approached him once again and smiled. But nothing about it felt comforting.

"Look, this is awkward for both of us, okay? Why don't we just pretend this never happened and I go get you an ice cream or something? You know - normal father and son things."

Satoshi didn't move. Instead, he hung his head and swallowed hard.

"I... I thought..." Taking a deep breath, he collected himself before continuing. "I just thought that we would have more in common. I don't really know how I feel about all of this."

In that moment, he finally realized what that feeling in his gut was: _disappointment_. Nothing about this meeting was going the way Satoshi expected it to.

"It's just weird. You never made a point to let me know that you were interested in being a part of my life until just now. Why weren't you there when I needed you the most? Why did you even leave in the first place?" He finally looked back up at his father, his expression hardening.

"And why did you choose to show up _now_ , of all times? What do you want from me?"

 _"Want?"_ Kentaro echoed with a laugh. "Why do you think I'd want something from you? What's your deal, kid? I never expected no future Kalos Champion to act like this."

Pikachu was growing agitated. He could tell that Satoshi was extremely uncomfortable by now, so he climbed atop his trainer's shoulder and brushed up against his cheek to grab his attention. When Satoshi's gaze met his, Pikachu quickly glanced down towards the boy's pocket. A light of recognition flashed in Satoshi's eyes.

The phone! He could call Pierre!

"I think we're done here, Kentaro-san," Satoshi firmly spoke, leveling his gaze on his father as he placed a hand in his pocket. "I'm going home."

Kentaro immediately seemed to go into a state of frenzy at the words. He dashed over and quickly placed his hands on Satoshi's shoulders to keep him from going anywhere, but both the boy and his Pikachu swatted him away.

"W-wait! Just wait a second, Satoshi!" Kentaro urged. He wrung his hands and revealed a nervous grin. Small beads of sweat that peppered his forehead easily gave away his desperation. "Are you sure you're not just thinking too hard about this? We could work things out!"

"I have no business with you." Satoshi's voice was rigid. "You're not who I thought you were and we have nothing in common. _I'm going home_."

Before he had a chance to call Pierre, Kentaro grasped the boy's wrist and forced him to put the phone down. Satoshi instinctively let out a small cry of shock at the gesture and quickly glanced around the pathway to see if anyone had noticed. They were alone. Pikachu let out a low growl as his cheeks began to flicker with his own electric warning.

"J-just hear me out, Satoshi-kun," Kentaro stammered, taking a step back when he saw that Pikachu was ready to defend his trainer at a moment's notice. "Don't call anyone just yet. Please just give me a chance."

Satoshi lowered his arm and quickly glanced down at the phone. He had Pierre's number all dialed in and waiting. Discreetly, he pressed the 'call' button and muted the phone.

"I'm listening," he slowly spoke, keeping his level gaze on Kentaro. The man had the countenance of a cornered animal, Satoshi obvserved. Despite the fact that he was visibly distressed by the idea of the boy leaving, Kentaro's mouth split into a cloying smile yet again.

"Ah. That's a good boy. Now listen."

He leaned forward, causing Satoshi to pull back slightly. Kentaro's expression turned on a dime as his gaze darkened. His voice dropped into a more serious tone. It was rather threatening.

"You need to win that League, boy. Keep in mind this isn't just about you, you know."

"W-what do you mean?" Satoshi muttered. He tried looking back down at the phone to make sure that Pierre had picked up, but wasn't able to do so without making it too obvious. He just prayed that Pierre was able to at least hear what was going on. Fortunately, Kentaro didn't appear to notice that Satoshi's attention was only partially there.

"You win that League, you'll be raking in the dough. Have you ever thought about anyone other than yourself? Huh? Ever think about your poor mother back home who has to deal with her own job _plus_ the expense of having you travel to and fro all the time? Who's paying for your plane tickets? What about your clothes? Obviously _you_ aren't.

"And look at _me!_ I'm barely making enough to survive and you think it's fine to just... win that League and keep all the money for yourself? Who do you think you are?"

His change in tone was jarring. Satoshi faltered as he tried to come up with a response, but he found he was at a loss for words. This man seemed entirely different from the man that Satoshi had met only about an hour ago.

"I deserve at _least_ a percentage of your winnings," Kentaro continued. "What kind of child would hold something like that back from their own father?"

Satoshi clenched his fists. He had had enough of this man's rambling.

"You don't deserve anything!" the young trainer shot back, taking a step away from Kentaro. "You're not even really a dad! Is that the only reason why you're here; the reason why you want me to win so badly? All because of _money?"_ He narrowed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Kentaro-san, but I refuse to play into this game. Selfish liars like you aren't worth my time." Turning around, he squared his shoulders. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and stuck close to his trainer's heel, briefly shooting Kentaro a nasty glare. Satoshi waved an arm. "Come on, Pikachu - let's go."

A sharp cry jumped from the boy's throat as he felt his arm being yanked backwards. The force was enough to spin him back around, and he almost lost his footing while he stumbled forward. Glancing up, he realized that Kentaro was the one who had pulled him back. Panic shot through Satoshi's veins when he saw the anger burning in his father's eyes.

"Selfish? _Selfish?!"_ Kentaro bellowed, tightening his hold as he roughly shook the boy. "You're calling me the selfish one here? I'm struggling to get by on a day-to-day basis and you're just gonna walk away?!"

"Let go," Satoshi gasped, trying to force Kentaro to release his grip. His words only seemed to go in one ear and out the other, because Kentaro didn't appear to have heard at all. Satoshi grit his teeth and leaned back to try and pull away. "I said _let go! P-PIKACHU!"_

Within seconds, Pikachu sprinted forward with a Quick Attack and headbutted Kentaro directly in the side. The man let go of Satoshi, staggering to the ground. Pikachu crouched low in front of Satoshi to let Kentaro know that he was ready to put up a fight if need be.

Satoshi's fists were trembling. His pulse felt like it was out of control. Taking in a shuddering breath, he took a step back; gripping his throbbing arm. His eyes were still locked onto Kentaro's hunched-over figure on the ground in front of him.

"Please leave me alone," the boy whispered, his quivering voice giving away just how terrified he felt. In that moment, he felt paralyzed. This was the man who he had waited for his whole life. This very same man who revealed himself to be nothing but a liar and a crook was the same person that Satoshi had mentally placed on a pedestal since childhood.

He wasn't sure how to process any of this.

Kentaro grunted as he finally pulled himself to his feet. Before he could make a snide comment, the sound of footsteps came into earshot. The man's eyelid twitched when he saw who emerged from the end of the trail.

 _"Satoshi!"_ Pierre's voice cut through the silence of the forest, causing a few nearby Pokémon to scatter at the sound. Satoshi felt his entire body relax as relief took over. His prayers were answered!

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Pierre cried the moment he approached Kentaro. He made sure to have Satoshi stand behind him, just to be on the safe side. Kentaro appeared visibly shocked at Pierre's seemingly random arrival.

"Wha- how did you-?!"

"Satoshi called me. I heard everything, you bastard," Pierre explained. With narrowed eyes, he pointed a finger in Kentaro's face. "You stay away from this kid, do you understand? He's too good for you."

Gently placing a hand on Satoshi's shoulder, Pierre pulled him close and began to walk off, but not before turning his head one last time to look at Kentaro.

"And if you _do_ lay a finger on him again, I have the authority to arrest you. So don't. Just don't do it."

In all honesty, Pierre had wanted nothing more than to bash that man's face in, but he held back. He needed to get Satoshi away from Kentaro as soon as possible. He could tell that the boy was rather shaken up, as he hadn't spoken a word since Pierre showed up to help.

Once they left Kentaro behind to think about his actions, the two found Pierre's motorcycle once again. Satoshi immediately grabbed his helmet and went to get on the bike, but Pierre quickly stopped him.

"Wait, hold on. Look at me for a second, buddy." Pierre reached out, placing both hands on the young trainer's shoulders as he tried to look him in the eye. _"Are you okay?"_

"Yeah, yeah - I'm fine," Satoshi huffed. "Can we just go home?"

Pierre paused for a moment. It was painfully obvious that Satoshi didn't want to talk about what happened. Instead of trying to coax anything out of him, Pierre simply nodded and got on the bike. Satoshi and Pikachu followed suit, with Pikachu snugly fitting in his trainer's lap and Satoshi wrapping his arms around Pierre to keep himself from falling off.

-~0~-

Almost the entire ride back to the apartment, Pierre could feel how tense Satoshi was. The boy kept his face buried into Pierre's back and refused to move until they finally came to a full stop. Everyone was quiet as Satoshi and Pikachu followed Pierre into the apartment complex and up the stairs, the only sound being the shuffling of their feet and the soft jingle of Pierre's keys as he unlocked the door.

A huge black Ninetales and a little shiny Zigzagoon, named Arthur and Mario respectively, greeted them at the door with excitement. Pierre let out a laugh as the two threatened to mow him over with their own Pokémon version of hugs.

"You guys are acting as though we were gone for weeks," he chuckled. "Hopefully you were good while I was gone?"

While everyone else was preoccupied, Satoshi quietly set down his helmet on the table and tried to slip away into his bedroom without being noticed. However, Pierre caught on and called after him, concern etched in his voice.

"Satoshi, c'mere for a moment." The man sat down on the couch and patted the cushion beside him. "Come sit down, buddy."

Satoshi hesitated. He knew Pierre always had a way with words, and that no one could ever completely hide anything from him. Of course, Pierre meant well... but it was sometimes intimidating to know that he could read anyone like an open book.

Eventually, he decided to sit down beside Pierre anyway. The Pokémon made themselves at home as well, picking up on the more solemn mood in the air. Pierre wrapped an arm around Satoshi and pulled him into a comforting hug.

The two sat in silence for a long time. Pierre didn't even realize that at some point, he had started running his fingers through Satoshi's soft dark hair. It was a habit of his that he would most likely never break any time soon.

"You don't have to pretend you're fine, Satoshi," he finally spoke. "You have every right to be upset, you know."

Pierre's gentle voice caused something to crack inside of the boy. He was trying so hard not to show any emotion at all. In fact, he didn't entirely know _what_ to feel in the first place. Without warning, Satoshi simply crumbled in Pierre's arms, his body shuddering as so many emotions came over him at once.

The young man's quiet sobs broke the silence as he buried himself into the folds of Pierre's shirt. He felt horribly disappointed and frustrated. The truth about who his father really was still hadn't sunk in yet, and he was struggling to grasp how that man even ended up the way he did.

Another part of him felt angry. Angry with _himself_. Why was he so naive to think that all of those fantastical hopes and dreams he had as a child were actually true? How could he have been that stupid to think that his dad would have shown up out of all those years to actually want to see _him?_ Especially after he had abandoned him and his mom all those years ago?

Pierre rocked Satoshi back and forth as he let the boy cry. The other Pokémon seemed highly concerned over what was going on, and Pierre shook his head, mouthing to them "I'll explain later" as he continued running his hand through Satoshi's hair. Arthur rested his head on the couch and placed a paw on top of Satoshi's knee to try and help provide a small sense of comfort. Pikachu and Mario curled up beside the boy and gently pat his back.

"I d-don't know why this bothers me so much," Satoshi eventually choked, wiping his eyes and his nose with his wrist. "I just... I just thought that he was _better_ than that..."

The conversation lapsed. Pierre allowed Satoshi ample time to calm down and collect himself before speaking up again.

"Hey. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? It's not like it was your fault that your dad ended up being a jerk."

Satoshi sniffed and quickly used his sleeve to try and wipe his face free of tears. His large, dark eyes slowly lifted to meet Pierre's gentle gaze, but he didn't say anything in reply. Frustration was still clearly visible in the boy's expression.

In truth, it deeply bothered Pierre to see Satoshi like this. The kid was usually a never-ending Energizer battery of enthusiasm and positivity. It took a lot to break him down, and having his heart broken by his father was exactly what did him in. Pierre's brow creased in sympathy as he hugged Satoshi tighter; pressing him close to his chest.

"None of this was your fault," he affirmed.

Arthur let out a small whine as his eyes darted back and forth between Pierre and Satoshi. All he knew was that the boy met his dad earlier that day, and the idea of something horrible happening as a result made his stomach churn. Looked like he and the annoying kid actually had something in common, Arthur realized, his expression softening.

 _No one deserves a shitty dad,_ he thought with a slight huff as he rubbed his nose against Satoshi's leg. _I'm sorry._

The Ninetales' ears perked up when he felt a gentle hand stroke his head. Lifting his gaze, he saw Satoshi's tear-stained face looking down at him, a tiny smile of thanks playing at the corners of his lips. He didn't know what Arthur was thinking, but the Pokémon's comforting gesture was enough to give him an idea.

Looking around him, Satoshi became aware of just how much Pierre and the Pokémon cared. They didn't want to see him upset and were trying their best to comfort him. An overwhelming sense of gratitude filled Satoshi's heart at the thought, and his eyes began to well up with fresh tears once more.

"Everyone..." he breathed. "Thank you. I'll be okay - I promise."

A smile finally broke out on the boy's face when Pierre gave him one last squeeze. He could never fully understand why Pierre acted the way he did, but he definitely appreciated the affection either way.

"Look, today might not have turned out the way we planned," Pierre spoke up, "but at least you've got us, right?"

"Yeah." Satoshi nodded as he rubbed his eyes once again. Glancing down at where he had buried his face earlier, he let out a slight chuckle. "Sorry for getting your shirt wet, Pierre. I didn't even think-"

"Haha, it's fine - I'm used to it." Pierre waved a hand and smiled. It looked like Satoshi was coming back to himself once again. Though Pierre knew that what had happened would most likely bother the boy for some time, it was good to see him back in higher spirits than before. A thought quickly crossed his mind as he tried to come up with more ways to help keep Satoshi in a better mood.

"Hey. Would you feel any better if I made an early supper?" he suggested. Almost instantly, Satoshi's eyes lit up. The Pokémon perked up at the words as well.

"Are you kidding? Of course I would!"

As Pierre started prepping the kitchen minutes later, Satoshi sat down on one of the bar stools at the counter to watch, and Pikachu joined him by sitting on the counter beside him. Satoshi had tried to help Pierre cook once, but it ended up being a disaster... so he decided that the best he could do to help was to stay a distance away just to be sure he wouldn't accidentally ruin something.

His mind began to wander as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand, his eyes watching Pierre quickly maneuver around the kitchen while he gathered everything he needed. Satoshi found himself thinking about what had happened hours before; about his dad who ended up not being anything like what he thought a real dad _should_ be.

Then it dawned on him. A real father never _had_ to be a biological one. Who said a family had to be defined by blood, anyway? In that moment, Satoshi realized in his heart who treated him more like a father than anyone else had - who chose to take care of him and give him a place to stay despite Satoshi not needing anyone to do that for him.

 _It was so painfully obvious_. Why hadn't he seen this before?

"Pierre," the boy softly spoke up, running his fingers through Pikachu's fur. Pierre quickly glanced in his direction as he was busy chopping up some vegetables.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking. A-about my dad, you know?" Satoshi moved his hand to scratch Pikachu under the chin. "And I realized something."

"Oh? What's that?"

"He might be my actual dad, but he was never my _dad_. He's nothing close to what I even thought a dad should be like. I mean, I'm still really upset about all of that but that doesn't really mean he's _family_."

Pierre stopped what he was doing and fully turned to look at Satoshi. The young man glanced up and met Pierre's gaze with a soft smile.

"But _you?"_ he continued, a slight sparkle in his brown eyes, "I consider you to be family, Pierre. You've been so good to me all this time even though you get annoyed of me sometimes." At this, he laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. Pierre chuckled.

"You're a wild one, that's for sure," he agreed. "But where are you going with this, Satoshi?"

Taking in a deep breath, Satoshi unknowingly clenched his fist. Pierre always knew when he was beating around the bush. With a sigh, he dropped his gaze. "I... I wanted to ask you something." Pierre raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Uh, sure - fire away."

Satoshi bit his lip. He suddenly felt apprehensive about this. "S-seeing as how my real dad is out of the question and I probably will never see him again... um, do you think... maybe..."

A pause. Pierre patiently waited to hear what the boy was going to say. After some time, Satoshi looked up once again, his lips pressed tightly together as he contemplated how he was going to speak what was on his mind.

"Pierre," he finally spoke up, a small flicker of hope glinting in his eyes.

"Can... can _you_ be my dad?"


End file.
